February 1, 2018

The history of black dolls is complicated. Post-Civil War minstrel shows often influenced the black dolls produced in the late 1800s, such as promotional dolls of Rastus advertising Cream of Wheat or the paper dolls of Aunt Jemima and her family printed inside pancake mix boxes. Many African American families could only afford these stereotypical black dolls. R. H. Boyd imported black porcelain dolls from European dollmakers through his National Negro Doll Company in 1911, but went out of business just four years later.

Manufacturers streamlined the mass-production of plastic dolls following World War II. Yet, many firms claimed that production of molds for dolls with African American features presented an unnecessary expense. By the 1950s, Sara Lee Creech, a businesswoman and social activist, became determined to provide an “anthropologically correct” doll for black children, although without commercial success. However, a few years later, Shindana Toys began producing dolls with black features and the company’s initiatives contributed to an important part of American cultural history.

January 5, 2018

Have you ever had a day when you just want to throw something? Well, it’s probably optimal if you choose an object that is meant to be thrown. Playthings such as softballs, paper airplanes, water balloons, and Frisbees count among the items which get the go-ahead for a wind-up and release. As I mentioned in a previous blog about toys people throw, “Sometimes I like to throw for distance and speed, other times for accuracy. Trajectory, body mechanics, kinetic energy, and velocity are part of the formula. Those factors (combined with other variables) determine how far you can throw something, what direction it will take, and how fast it will go.” Although flying discs and Frisbees are objects that you more-or-less “flick and fling,” relying heavily upon wrist motion, I categorize them as “throw toys” and they rank among my favorite things to heave.

When and how did flying discs and Frisbees originate? Predecessors of the modern Frisbee were predominantly made of metal and can be traced back several centuries to the first Olympic Games in Greece in 708 BC when discus throwing was part of a pentathlon event. Later, in 2nd-century BC India, warriors used a disc with sharpened outer edges, called a chakram, as both a throwing weapon and a hand-to-hand combat tool. In the 14th century, a horseshoe-like game, quoits, appeared in England as early as 1388. Simply a ring tossed over a stick target, quoits remains still popular among sporting clubs in England and the U.S.

December 19, 2017

I grew up in a family of makers before the Maker Faire existed. My grandmothers could knit, sew, make jewelry, or hand hook a rug. They were the early generation of makers who would "use it up, wear it out, make it do" in order to make things last. My parents knew about organic gardening, fine tailoring, hand painting folk art whirligigs, and repairing furniture. Our house was filled with craft projects and lots of creativity. Parties with friends involved papermaking, bookbinding, pottery, tie-dye, and batik. Quiet weekends were spent watching other people make things on PBS’s The New Yankee Workshop. During outings or shopping trips, my parents would say, "We could make that!" I grew up making things, in a family that collects antiques, with a subscription to Smithsonian magazine. Based on that background, it seems like I’ve been training my entire life to be a conservator. Conservation requires science, art, creative thinking, manual skills, and a certain type of personality that enjoys repetitive tasks. Recently, I created replacements for miniature basketball nets in the museum’s Hoop It Up arcade game using macramé. I saw the deteriorated originals and said to myself, "I could make that." And, sure enough, I did. Undoubtedly my crafty grandmothers would be proud.

But I’m not alone in my interest in and affection for creative pursuits. Playing by making always promises the result of having a new thing. Remco offered an exciting way to build your own toy cars with Barney's Auto Factory Motorized Assembly Line. A car chassis rolls down the assembly line as kids add parts and customize a toy car. Safety features were not much of a concern in the early years of maker toys and building sets. The 1950 Gilbert Atomic Energy Set came with radioactive materials and a comic book in which the cartoon character Dagwood shows how to split an atom. In the 1960s, kids could play with Mattel’s Creepy Crawlers by making plastic bugs with a hot toaster oven and die-cast molds. Advertisements for Creepy Crawlers told kids that "all you need to make a bug is a Thing Maker set and an electric plug." Kids could also transform sheets of plastic into toys and badges with Mattel's Vac-u-Form Thing Maker set. Perhaps after years of playing with Thing Maker a few kids grew up to be industrial designers.

November 11, 2017

Today people find themselves bombarded with ideas, images, and characters from every kind of media. Game manufacturers quickly capitalize on that phenomenon by producing classic games licensed for popular themes. For Yankees fans, New York Yankees Monopoly makes a great gift. Instead of properties, gamers buy and trade team players while circling the game board as a catcher’s mask or a World Series trophy. Tired of the classic Game of Life? Try Game of Life: My Little Pony. What about card games? Play Pirates of the Caribbean or Sock Monkey Uno. But in my opinion, the board game Clue lends itself best to licensed board game variants, because players take on the roles of Clue’s own cast of characters. And these characters, it turns out, are easily layered with other roles from popular media.

Part of Clue’s fun is assuming the identities of Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, and the rest, all the while suspecting—in the spirit of the game—that one of your group has committed a murder. But imagine you’re a fan of Alfred Hitchcock films. In the licensed 1999 version you can play Miss Scarlet as Melanie Daniels from The Birds, and kill with a necktie, as in Frenzy, at the Bates Motel from Psycho. Today you can play as Link in Legend of Zelda Clue, kill with a poisoned doughnut or a slingshot in The Simpsons Clue, or discover a murder in the cantina while playing Clue: Star Wars. This 2016 version features a detailed 3-D Death Star game board, praised by fans of the film and the game alike. Many themes, such as Harry Potter Clue, and Scooby Doo, Where Are You! Clue, lend themselves readily to the game’s whodunit framework. Others, such as Clue: Family Guy Collector’s Edition and Clue: Juicy Couture seem less likely. But, they exist.

October 12, 2017

What makes a game classic? Part of the answer is longevity. Most people consider chess classic; we’ve played it for centuries. What about playing cards? Woodblock-printed cards appeared during China’s Tang dynasty (618–907), while written rules for card games were first seen in15th-century Europe. Another characteristic of classic games is continued popularity. Games such as Monopoly in the 1930s and Scrabble during the 1950s broke sales records at first. But they continued to sell in the years that followed and do so today. Like chess and playing cards, these games are now available in electronic formats, but people still enjoy the tabletop versions. In the spirit of those other famous games, I’d like to propose the tile game Mahjong as a potential classic.

Mahjong’s roots reach back to China’s invention of playing cards. Early Chinese card illustrations represented amounts of money—as in gambling. Mahjong relates to a series of draw-and-discard card games in which players try to collect sets, or melds, of identical or related cards. The game rummy also makes use of this mechanic. Sometime in the middle 19th century, bone or bamboo tiles got substituted for the cards in this game. In Asia the tiles are thick enough to stand on end, so players easily conceal their hands; Westerners use thinner tiles on racks. The game caught on and made its way to Europe in the late 19th century and to America by 1920.

August 4, 2017

The front of a school building shimmers in the sun. A loud bell rings. The doors burst open and a flood of children spills out, cheering and tossing papers into the air.

This image, used to the point of cliché, signals the start of summer and the freedom (albeit temporary) from the restrictions of school, the expectations of parents, and the anxieties of peer relations. In those precious ten weeks, an awkward misfit can shed his skin and emerge a swan, a hero, or a man. The transformational summer exists both in reality and in the mythology of American childhood: sleep-away camps and extended family vacations are real, formative experiences so universal that they are extensively used in young adult literature as a device for the protagonist’s internal transformation.

May 17, 2017

Growing up in Pennsylvania, my parents frequently looked for family excursions within a few hours’ drive from our home near Pittsburgh. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, became a frequent destination for the Novakovics, thanks in part to my younger brothers. Both Bobby and Billy loved reading the Thomas the Tank Engine series by Reverend W. Awdry; watching the PBS show Shining Time Station; and playing with metal Thomas & Friends train cars (which feel worse to step on than Lego bricks, FYI). Among Lancaster’s attractions is the town of Strasburg, home to the Strasburg Railroad; the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania; and the National Toy Train Museum. For total railroad immersion, we stayed at the Red Caboose Motel, a compound of 38 retired cabooses turned into tourist lodging. (I believe we opted for the “Baggage Car” floor plan, which housed two sets of bunk beds.) Daytime activities included the Strasburg Railroad’s scenic 45-minute round-trip train ride through the countryside, climbing in and around old trains at the museums, and eating our weight in delicious shoo-fly pie from an Amish farm market. My dad kept a souvenir cassette tape of railroad-themed songs in his pick-up truck for ages, and I can still remember all the words to “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” and “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe.”

Although I haven’t been back to Strasburg in more than a decade, I’m surrounded by trains here at The Strong. The Strong Express Train on the museum’s first floor is a mini-locomotive ride for children and their accompanying adults. (Don’t forget to wave at your family and friends when your train car circles past the station!) In the museum’s Build, Drive, Go exhibit, visitors can peruse cast-iron, steel, plastic, electric, and even paper toy trains. (During World War II, the U.S. War Production Board prohibited the manufacture of toys using critical war effort materials, such as steel or iron. As a result, the Lionel Corporation ceased its standard metal toy train production and instead fabricated items for the Allied troops. Lionel did, however, print the Wartime Freight Train on heavy paper stock for families to assemble and play with at home.) There are also many train-themed games—both traditional and electronic—within the museum’s collections.

May 15, 2017

Shehnaz Safiuddin is an innovative brand builder and marketer with expertise in creating relevant, differentiated brands that stand the test of time while keeping up with the times. She recently launched Snap Kick Marketing Inc., a brand strategy and marketing consultancy with focus on market analysis, consumer insights, and innovation, to drive brand strategy.

Safiuddin has over 25 years of experience in consumer goods and retail marketing, including 16+ years in toys at Fisher-Price and TOMY International. She has extensive experience growing established brands, identifying new brand opportunities, creating break-through marketing plans, and launching innovative new products, particularly in the area of kid and family targeted brands. She is equally left brain and right brain, giving her a unique passion for both business analytics and creative problem solving.

Much has been written and discussed about Millennials and their passion for experiences versus the accumulation of things. They’re interested in enjoying life to its fullest, gathering stories, and creating memories.

This penchant for experiences takes on a whole new meaning when Millennials become parents. They don’t let crying babies stand in their way of exploring the world and they don’t let potty-training hold them back from their next great adventure. As a matter of fact, the arrival of children helps Millennials discover a bigger and broader range of adventures and experiences.

While it sometimes seems like today’s trends – the shift to online information gathering, the growth of e-commerce, the ubiquitous image of people self-absorbed in their own devices, and the increasing role of technology in every aspect of our lives – are inconsistent with the desire for hands-on, emotional experiences, the reality is millennial parents are all about balance and are looking to leverage both ends of this spectrum. They harness the strength of technology while also embracing opportunities to unite their families with captivating experiences.Toys and games and playthings provide the perfect opportunity to find this balance and deliver experiences – experiences derived from the products themselves, as well as experiential marketing that engages parents and children alike, creating special moments along the way.

Product opportunities span both sides of the continuum from non-electronic, back-to-basics playthings, to leading edge, high tech toys.

Unplug: Games and puzzles have been the fastest growing super category in Toys for a reason. They’re a way for families to bond, to unplug, and to build childhood memories.

Family Tech: Technology done right also builds togetherness and creates family stories. The notion of toys-to-life or any concepts that combine physical toys with the latest tech in a multi-player, interactive format, provides experiential moments, while embracing technology.

May 4, 2017

Have you ever heard of this Oz title: "Urfin Joos and his Wooden Soldiers"? How about this one: "The Seven Underground Kings"? The two novels, originally published in Russian as, Урфин Джюс и его деревянные солдаты and Семь подземных королей, are not the product of L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz. They are the work of Alexander Volkov, a Russian writer who in the 1930 came out with his own version of the Oz books.

Mr. Volkov's series of books was essentially a case of intellectual piracy. He went on to write six books in the series as he continued to publish into the 1960's. His series continues in popularity and actually overshadow's Mr. Baum's work not only in Russia but in China and the former East Germany.

"The Seven Underground Kings"

I am a collector of the Oz books and particularly the work of Mr. Baum, his successor Ruth Plumly Thompson and illustrator W. W. Denslow. I had not been aware of Mr. Volkov's books until recently. Reading them is to be stepping into an alternative Oz universe. The stories are different. For example:

April 27, 2017

French culture and American culture are like two, very different, operating systems (think Apple and Microsoft). What works in one country may not necessarily work in the other.

For example, let's take the case of how one French television channel is handling the subject of sexually provocative shows and children. In the U.S., one would just assume that children are not in the room. In France, that's a different story.

That is where toys and games come in. There are a lot of uses for toys but French television channel, Canal+, has come up with a new one: Distracting children from seeing sexually provocative images.

It involves the television series, Versailles, which I have been watching via Netflix. The show is about Louis the XIV, the Sun King, who apparently had many (and I mean many) lovers. In fact, it appears that pretty much everyone in the show has a lot of lovers. And many of them are not wearing any clothes.

I have watched season 1 and found it to be historically very interesting. It does have substance and is about a lot more than sex. It appears that season 2 is going to have even more sex and nudity. So, Canal+ had to figure out how to keep the kids distracted while the parents watched the show.

Their solution? Toys! "Versailles for Kids" provides an app and a selection of Versailles themed toys to keeps children engaged during the show. In fact, you can win toys while watching. There are board games, construction sets and costume kits.

Even in France, I doubt that that many parents let their children watch Versailles so it looks to me like the toy angle is a gimmick...partly a marketing scheme for the television show and partly a way way to sell a bunch of toys.

Its an interesting tactic. No matter what your operating system. Viva La France!

March 22, 2017

We have all heard the saying that a dog is man’s (and woman’s too) best friend. We love dogs so much that they even have their own special day—National Puppy Day! Canine companionship has been around for eons and extends from pets to working dogs. Whether they are snuggle buddies, sled pullers, or law enforcement assistants, dogs play a significant role in our society and in our hearts. So it should be no surprise that their popularity also carries over into children’s literature and playthings.

Everywhere you look, stories and movies show a main character with a dog companion. Mickey Mouse has Pluto, Charlie Brown has Snoopy, and Shaggy has Scooby Doo. One of the most famous fictional dog characters is Clifford. First published in 1963, Clifford the Big Red Dog is a book series that chronicles a larger-than-life canine on his adventures with his owners and dog friends. Though Clifford started out as a small puppy, the love of his owner Emily made him grow to monumental size. He is a sweet and gentle creature that sometimes gets into trouble, usually by pure accident due to his size. The books series was so popular that it was adapted into a PBS show in the early 2000s and remains a favorite among children today.

March 17, 2017

Out with the old and in with the new. At least that is what it feels like these day as Hasbro gets rid of familiar characters and playing pieces and replaces them with new ones.

Hasbro announced today that it has replaced three familiar Monopoly pieces (the Boot, Thimble and Wheelbarrow) with three new ones (the Penguin, Duckie and Dinosaur). This follows the replacement of Clue's venerable maid / housekeeper / cook, Mrs. White, with a biologist, Dr. Orchid.

Monopoly, was launched by Parker Brothers in 1935 and Clue or Cluedo was first published by Waddingtons in 1949. Both games' playing pieces, in their own way, reflected how society saw itself.Clue, which was originally published in the UK, reflected the class system. A bit like an Agatha Christie mystery view of the world, the mansion was filled with British aristocrats with the exception of one working class person, Mrs. White.

The first Monopoly pieces reflected a far more American, middle class view of the world. The earliest games actually came with no pieces so players had to find household objects (a thimble for example) to use as tokens. When Parker Brothers started publishing the game they chose items like a miniature cannon, a top hat, a car, a terrier, a boot, a battleship, a thimble and an iron. These were the familiar items in an America in which people sewed, ironed and wore out their shoes.